Tie plate



ANDREW MORRISON, 0F PENN '.l0`\7J.\TS1:I.`IP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY,` PENNSYLVANIA, i

ASSIGNOR TO DILWORTI-I, PORTER & CO., INC.7 OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA,

A. CORPORATION OIE PENNSYLVANIA".

TIE PLATE.-

`Specification of Letterslatent. Patel-lied -11gi 15,V 1922.

Application filed November 29,1921. `serial Np.; 518,49a l y T0 all whom t mag/concern.' y

Be it known that I, ANDREW MORRISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Penn Township, in the county of Allegheny Aand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tie Plates, of which the following is a full, clear, and eXact description. l

The present invention relates particularly to tie plates for railroads. t

An object ofthe present invention 1s to provide a tie plate in which all of the bear'- ing surfaces, including the rail tread and the upper surface of the tie plate, are normal to the downward thrust produced by the wheel load, and in which the lower surface of the plate'is shaped to afford a maximum resist- Vance to lateral outward movement therepf, I by providing upwardly and outwardly 1nclined shoulders forming abutments acting in opposition to such movement and by the addition to the underl surface of supplemental ribs, the resistance of which cooperates with the resistance aorded by said inclined shoulders.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention, together with their attendant advantages, will be apparent as the 'invention becomes better understood by reference to the accompanying specification and 4drawings forming a part thereof, it being premised that changes may be made in the details of construction and manner of operation without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of my broader claims.

Figure 1 is a transverse section through a tie plate and rail showing vav portion of a plate in which additional resistance-to the lspreading tendency is afforded.

" The general problems involved in tie plate constructions, and successfully .overi* come bythe present invention, have been recognized and unsuccessful attempts havev been made to4 overcome the same by constructing a cambered tie plate havingan upper rail -seat normal tothe line of thrustv of vthe standard coned tread car' wheel and ylower stepped surfaces parallel with said seat." Such, tie plates have/@been constructed both with and without supplemental protuberant ribs, but steppedsurfaces arranged v p in this manner parallel with the rail 'seat have tended to assist rather than prevent the lateral spreading tendency.`

Referring more particularly to the `drawings, there is illustrated a tie plate 2 protapered to provide a thickened' portiony adjacent the shoulder 3 and a relatively thin lnwardlyprojecting portion. The taper is calculated in such manner that the upper rail seat 5 will be substantially normal to the i downward thrust of a standard coned tread car wheel, such as illustrated in dotted lines in'Figure ll. Such .a car wheel produces a wheel load stress lin the direction vof the i11- clinedline a-b of 'F igure l', while the wheel load is effective in a vertical direction. In Figure?) thisload is indicated bythe arrow A designated wheel load, In additionA to the wheell load stress there is a laterally acting stress indicated in Figure 3 by the arrow B, designated wheel thrust. These two stresses, which are continuously actingdurfing the passage of a car over the rails, provided withl a ran abuaingshoulaer a adjacent one 'end vthereof and with the usual `duce a third stress indicated in Figure l3 by i the arrow Cl, designated resultant wheel thrust* It will be apparent that all of these stresses combine to produce a spread of the rails, and the tie plates as `represented by the arrow D. l

The present invention partially overcomes this spreading tendency by forming the lower surface of the tie plate of a series of wide 'bearing surfaces 6, which are oppositely inshoulder which connects the highest point of the ribs with the lowest point of the adjacent surfaces 6. This provides a much more effective' abutment than is provided with a construction such as illustrated in my prior l)atent .No. 1,348,870. ln Figure 3 the arrows E, which are designated resistance by inclined portions indicate the resistance .which would be providedif the ribs 7 were not projected from the surfaces 6, or, in other words,indicate the resistance of that `portion of the shoulder above the rib, and the arrow F designated supplemental resistance by ribs, indicates the additional resistance which is provided by reason of these ribs. It is essential that the effective portions be abrupt, as a gradual inclination would tend to assist the resultant wheel thrust and increase the lateral outward creeping` of the tie plates, thereby permitting an undue spreading action.

With a construction of the present nature, the greatest depth of the abrupt inclined portions is effective in direct opposition to the resultant wheel thrust, thereby preventing any spreading or breaking.

The advantages of the present invention arise from a tie plate provided with an upper bearing surface substantially normal to the downward line of stress of a standard coned tread car wheel, and having an under surface in which the maximum resistance is directly effective for maintaining the tie plate in fixed position on the tie.

I claim:

l. A tie plate for railway rails, having an upper rail seat substantially normal to the line of thrust of a standard coned tread car wheel and having a series of wide lower bearing surfaces upwardlyv and inwardly inclined at an oblique angle to the rail seat, said upwardly inclined surfaces being connected by projecting ribs, substantially as described.

2. A tie plate for railway rails, having an upper rail seat substantially normal to the line of thrust of a standard coned tread car wheel and having a series of wide lower bearing surfaces upwardly and inwardly inclined at an oblique angle to the rail seat, said upwardly inclined surfaces being connected by projecting ribs so disposed that their maximum resistance is effective to prevent outward spreading tendency of the tie plate, substantially as described.

3. A tie plate for railway rails, having an inclined upper rail seat substantially normal to the line of thrust of a standard coned tread car wheel and a lower tie-engaging surface comprising a series of wide bearing surfaces oppositely inclined with respect to said seat, the inclination of said surfaces being gradually upwardly and inwardly, and ribs at the high points of said bearing surfaces, substantially as described.

a. A tie plate for railway rails, having an inclined upper rail seat substantially normal to the line of thrust of a standard coned tread car wheel and a lower tie-engaging surface comprising a series of wide bearing surfaces oppositely inclined with respect. to said seat,the inclination of said surfaces being gradually upwardly and inwardly, and ribs at the high points of said bearing surfaces, said ribs presenting a greater surface on one side than the other, the surface of greater widthy being inclined abruptly upwardly and outwardly to prevent spreading of the tie plate, substantially asy described.

5. A tie plate for railway rails having an inclined upper rail seat, and a lower tieengaging surface comprising a series of wide bearing surfaces across substantially the entire width thereof and oppositely inclined with respect to said seat, said inclination being gradually upwardly and inwardly, abruptly upwardly and outwardly .inclined portions forming shoulders resisting spreading tendency of the tie plate, and ribs adapted to supplement they action of said upwardly and outwardly inclined portions, substantially as described.

. 6. A tie plate for railway rails having an inclined upper rail seat, and a lower tieengaging surface comprising a series of wide bearing surfaces across substantially the entire width thereof and oppositely inclined with respect to said seat, said inclination being gradually upwardly and inwardly, abruptly upwardly and outwardly inclined portions forming shoulders resisting spreading tendency of the tie plate, and means projecting beyond the high points of said wide bearing surfaces and adapted to supplement l the action of said upwardly and outwardly inclined portions, substantially as described.

7. A tie plate for railway rails having a downwardly and inwardly inclined upper railseat, and a lower tie-engaging surface comprising a series of spaced broad bearing surfaces extending gradually upwardly and inwardly to provide a tapered tie plate construction in which all of the lowered broad tie-engaging surfaces extend angularly with outwardly, and ribs extending transversely of the plate adjacent the high points of the tie-engaging portionsofthe plate for pleme'nting the action of said shoulders,' substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW MORRISON;` i t i sup- 10' 

